Conductor-support



G. E. HENRY,

14,367,599, Patented Feb.8,1921.

UNrren srAras. .PATENT o1f1='1c:1

GEORGES E. HENRY, OF MANSFIELB, OHIO, ASSGNOR 'I'O THE OHIO BRASS COMPANY,

OF MANSFIELD, OHIO, A. CORPORATION OF NEW' JERSEY.

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Application led June 19', 1920. Serial No. 390,150.v

To all fui/0m may concern.'

lle it known that l, Gnonens E. HENRY, a citizen of Switzerland, residing at Mansfield, in the county ofltichland and State of Chio, have invented certain new and useful improvements in' Conductor-Supports, of which the 'following is a speciication.

My invention relates to a device for gripping and supporting conductors and is particularly adapted to supporting trolley wires from overhead supports or hangers.`

The objects of my device are to produce a clamping and supporting member which can be economically manufactured, is simple in its construction and simple in its application; a device which can be secured tightly p in relation to the overhead support or hanger and aline with the conductor to which it'is attached without altering its close relation to the hanger; a device which after being installed upon the hanger and the conductor will permity treerotative movement of the conductor with respect to the hanger it there is such tendency upon-the part of the conductor. Other objects will be apparent to those skilled in the art after further disclosures herein based upon my description and claims.

To the attainment of these ends and the accomplishment of other new and useful objects, as will appear, the invention consists in the features oi novelty in the construction, combination and arrangement of the several parts herein more fully described and claimed and shown in the accompanying drawing illustrating the embodiment of the invention, and in which:

Vhanger and is not in gripping relation with a trolley wire.

Fig. 4 is a section on the line 4 4: of F ig. 2. v

Fig. 5 is a section on the line 5 5 of Fig. 3.

F ig. 6` is a section on the line. 6 6 of Fig. 2 and shows the relationv otdrlvmg lugs herein' "later described.

Specication of Letters Fatent.V

Patented Feb. 8, 1921i.

which l have shown as a trolley wire. They upper end of the gripping elements 1 1 is provided with lugs 4 which enter and engage a rotating element 5. At the lower portion of the lugs a a shoulder 6 islformed whith is engaged by the lower edge 7 of the rotating element 5. ln order yto secure these mem-V bers together the opening to the element 5 is ormed withstraight depending sides as shown by the dotted line and after the lugs l have been entered into proper position theV lower dotted edge of the element 5 is swaged over, rolled or otherwise formed to close the opening partially and produce a shoulder 7 to engage the shoulder 6. rThis permits the clamping members 1 1 to have free rotation in the element 5 when the gripping elements do not engage a trolley wire and to have a partial relative rotation as will be fully explained later when the gripping elements l engage a trolley wire 8. Thepoint of engagement of the elements 6 and ,7 acts as a fulcrum point for the gripping elements l.

Upon the rotating` element 5 is an inwardly depending annular flange 8 and when viewed on the line 4 4 of F ig. 2 the flange 8 is seen to have an elliptical section as shown in F ig. l. |The object of this elliptical construction is toV provide means for engaging the lugs 4 when the gripping elements l are 1n position upon the trolley wire 3 and to move the lugs 4 outwardly and thereby throw the jaws 2 of the gripping elements l intoa gripping or holding relation upon the trolley wire. This engagement` of the elliptical flange 8 with the lugs -l is brought about by rot-ating the element 5 relatively tothe gripping members l when the gripping members are in engagement with the'trolley wire. W'hen there is no engagement between the gripping members l and the trolley wire there is' suliicient clearance between thelugs 4 and the Aelliptical flange 8 to permit free and" complete rotation of these elements relativelyto each other.`

The upper inner edge of the rotatable member 5 is shown as beveled as indicated by the numeral 9 but the continuity of this beveled surface is broken by lug l0 forming an integral part or' the rotatable member 5.

To properly support the device from an overhead hanger l secure to the rotatable member 5 a supporting member ll. ln order to prevent the disengagement of elements 5 and ll, l roll, or swage over the lower edge l2 of the supporting member which is normally cast straight as indicated by the Vdotted lines. As the it between the parts 5 and ll is suiiiciently loose to permit relative rotation of the parts, l provide a lug 13' integrally secured to the member ll which engages with the lug 10 voit the rotatable member when the members 5 'and ll are rotateda suilicient amount in either direction. T he engagement of the lugs l0 and 13 permits rotating the supporting member 1l by means oic the rotatable member 5 which is provided on its exterior with means for the Vapplication of a wrench, into engagement with an overhead-hanger or support H. These hangers are usually provided with a depending stud 14 and thereiiore l provide the supportingmember ll with a threaded recess l5 adapted to engage the stud la. ln order to -disengage the supporting member from the hanger it is only necessary to rotate the element 5 in the reverse direction until the lug lO engages the opposite side ci the lug 13 whereby continued rotation oi the member 5 will cause the supporting member ll to rotate in a reverse direction and dis- .ei'igagefitself from the hanger.

ln order to install my device upon a hanger and trolley wire, assuming that the hanger and trolley wire have been positioned relatively to each other, l iirst secure the hanger by placing the threaded recess l5 in contact with the end of the stud la and then rotate the member 5 in the proper direction until the lug l0 engagesV the lugl?) on the supporting member 1l and continued rotation oi the rotatable member 5 will cause' the `supporting member ll to be rotated and thread 'itself upon the studll and this rota# tion ofthe members is continued until the upper face of the supporting member 1l se- Y curclv engagesythe lower Ytace of the hanger H. lt will probably be i'ound that the clamping members l do not at thistime aline with the trolleywire 3' but as the clamping members l are freely rotatable relatively to the other parts4 ot the device as beforeV eX- plained, it is only necessary to rotate the cla'riipine'` members luntil they aline with the trolley wire and to then place the jaws 2 in proper engagement with the wire 3. 0r the clamping members l and rotatable member 5 may be rotated in unison it desired untill the clamping members l aline with the trolley wire 3L .lf at the time of engaging the clamping members l with the trolley wire the lugs l should be engaged with the long diameter of the elliptical flange E5 as shown in Fig. Ll, it will of course be necessary to change this relation of parts which is very easily done by rotating the element l relatively to the element 5 until theirl relation is short diameter or' the elliptical member 8 engages with the lug l.

Having engaged the' device with the hanger and the clamping members l with the .wire in order to cause the clamping members l to securely grip the trolley wire it is only necessary to rotate the element 5 in ing member ll are :tree to rotate on account oidisengagement of the lugs l0 and 13, the members l and 5 as aunit will be iree to rotate relatively to the supporting member ll or hanger H an` amount which the clearance ietween the lugs l0 and 13 will permit. rthis is a feature which will permit slight twisting of the trolley wire without necessity oi loosening the' device from the hanger which would-be the case if the member 'll and members l were relatively non-rotatable.

ln order to disengage the' device from a trolley wire or hanger it is only necessary to rotate the element 5 aquarter turn to disengage the elliptical flange 8V from the lug l which will permit the trolley wire to be released 'from the gripping members l and then to rotate the element 5 in a reverse di@ rection from thatused to install the device and until the lug 10 engages with the lug 13 when continued rotation will cause the supporting member ll te be released and unscrewed from the stud lei.

' ln this applicationl have shown and described my pre'ierred form ot construction embodying my invention but this is only one of the many modiiications which can be made in my invention and apparent to those skilled' in the art and l: do not wish to be limited in the scope ci my invention other than that set forth in the following claims.

Claims-V l. A wire support comprising a supporting member provided with means for attaehment to a hanger, a rotatable member secured to the supporting member, means for limiting the amount of said rotation and ysuch as indicated in Fig. 5; that is where the gripping means rotatably secured to the Arotatable member and adapted to engage and hold a Wire.

2. A Wire support comprising a supportand hold a Wire and means for moving the clamping members into engagement with the Wire.

3. A Wire support comprising a supporting member provided with means for attachment to a. hanger, a rotatable member secured to the supporting member, means for limiting the amount of said rotation, gripping means secured to the rotatable member adapted to engage and hold a Wire and a cam adapted to engage and move the gripping means into holding engagement With the Wire when rotated.

4. A Wire support comprising a supporting member provided With means for attachment to a hanger, a rotatable member secured to the supporting member, means on each oi2 the above elements adapted to coact and limit the amount of said relative rotation and gripping means rotatably secured to the rotatable member and adapted to engage and hold a Wire.

5. A Wire support comprising a supporting member provided with means for attachment to a hanger, a rotatable member secured to the supporting member, means on each of the above elements adapted to coact and limit the amount oit said relative rotation, gripping means rotatably secured to the rotatable member and adapted to engage and hold a Wire and operating means on the rotatable member to engage and move the gripping means into holding engagement with the Wire.

6. A Wire support comprising a supporting member provided with means-for attachment to a hanger, a gripping member to engage and hold a wire, and connecting means interposed between the above members to secure them together, the connecting means having limited relative rotation with. respect to the supporting member and'free relative rotation with respect to the gripping member.

7. A Wire support comprising a supporting member provided with means :tor attachment to a hanger, a gripping member to engage and hold a Wire, means connecting the above members and having limited ron tation relative to the supporting member and i'ree rotation relative to the gripping member and means for moving the gripping member into holding engagement with the ivire and simultaneously locking the connecting means and gripping member against rotation but permitting the limited relative rotation of the supporting and gripping members to continue.

8. A. Wire suppor to grip and support a conductor comprising three relative rotatable members, av supporting membena gripping member and a connecting member, the supporting member having means to engage a hanger, the connecting member having limited relative rotation With respect to the supporting member and having means to engage means on the supporting member to define said relative rotation in. either direction, the gripping member having free' relative rotation with respect to the connecting member when the gripping member is free of the conductor but non-rotatable relatively to the connecting member When engaging the conductor and means for causing said non-rotation and secure engagement of the gripping member to the conductor.

9. A Wire support comprising a supporting member provided with means for attachment to a hanger, means having a liniited relative rotation to the supporting member and engaging the same for rotating the supporting member into engagement with the hanger, and gripping means adapted to hold a Wire and having i'ree relative rotation with respect to the above mentioned means.

l0. A. Wire support comprising a supporting member provided with means for attachment to a hanger, means having a limited relative rotation to the supporting member and engaging the same for rotating the supporting member into engagement with the hanger, gripping means adapted to hold a Wire and having free relative rotation with respect to the above mentioned means, and operating means adapted to move the gripping means into a holding engagement with the Wire and lock the gripping means against rotation relatively to the second named means but permitting relative rotation with respect to the supporting member.

ll. A. Wire support comprising a supporting member provided with means for attachment to a hanger, means having a limited relative rotation with respect to the supporting member and engaging the same lor rotating the same into engagementY with the hanger, a gripping means adapted to hold a Wire and having free relative rotation with respect to the above mentioned means and means to move the gripping means into holding relation to the vvire.

12. A wire support comprising a supporting member provided With means for attachment to a hanger, gripping means adapted to engage and hold a Wire, a con- Y necting member for uniting the above elements, the connecting means adapted to rotate the supporting member into engagement with a hanger when rotated in one direction and to have a 'free but limited rotation relative to the supporting membeil when lrotated in the reverse direction, means on the connecting member adapted to move the gripping means Ainto a holding relation with the Wire when the connecting member is rotatedin a reverse direction but releasing said-grip on the Wire when the co1 necting member is rotated in the opposite direction.

13. A Wire support comprisino` a supporting member provided With means for attachment tov a hanger, gripping members adapted Vto engage and bold a Wire, means connecting the members in ay relative rotative vrelation to each other and means adjustably rotatable to engage the gripping intimen members to move the gripping members inte engagement with the Wire.

14:. A Wire support comprising a supporting member provided with means 'for at- Ato move .the gripping means into holding engagement with the Wire. M

In testimony vvliereof I atx my signature.

GEORGES E. HENRY. 

